Just a Kiss
by Ms. Videl Son
Summary: DISCONTINUED FrogPrince parody: Jaken is under a terrible spell that only a genuinelyloving kiss can break...but who would kiss a toad? NOTE: Jaken is HUMAN turned TOAD! JR In the unlikely event that you want to adopt this story, please contact.
1. Prologue: Once Upon a Time

Title: Just a Kiss  
  
Disclaimer: I swear on my Ranma ½ OVA that I do not, nor have I ever, owned InuYasha: A  
  
Feudal Fairy Tale.  
  
Summary: Jaken, a Lord under King Sesshoumaru, is reluctant to pick a bride. After spurning one  
  
too many a prospective bride, a witch casts a spell on him so that he may forever be as ugly on the  
  
outside as he is on the inside. The only way to break the spell is to find someone willing to kiss  
  
him...[Jaken/Rin]  
  
Prologue: Once Upon a Time...  
  
Once upon a time, there was a young lord who loved himself very much. He loved himself  
  
so much that there was no room for anyone else in his heart–not even a new wife. He spent much of  
  
his time poised before his mirror, surveying what he considered a very handsome face in his  
  
reflection. Like Narcissa, he was constantly transfixed by his own features, so much that all else  
  
became second in his mind and in his heart, leaving those in his care to fend for themselves in a  
  
world that offered no assistance.  
  
The only son and heir to his dearly deceased father, it was his duty–no, privilege–to continue the  
  
family line and sire those who might carry it further once he too departed this living realm. His  
  
retainers begged him to pick a bride so that he might continue his family lineage, but he refused and  
  
sent away any prospective brides, claiming them all to be too dull or too ugly and unworthy of his  
  
lordship.  
  
One day, the young lord granted audience to a beautiful young girl who was both charming  
  
and graceful. Though young, she was indeed wise for her years and excellent company. Her beauty  
  
was rivaled only by the ladies of the high court–even the queen herself. Her skin was a soft, milky  
  
white and her cheeks flushed with a rosy hue when she laughed. Her smile could warm the coldest of  
  
hearts and her laugh was as light as wind chimes, and twice as musical. Her dark hair fell in a thick  
  
sheet to the small of her back when released from its bonds and shone like a ravens wing. Many a  
  
castle guard and servant became smitten with this delightful young woman, the youngest and last  
  
unmarried daughter of a baron to the east.  
  
Even the mighty lord had a trying time coming up with anything foul to say about this girl,  
  
this Ai. She was intelligent, sociable, beautiful and everything a proper lady of her station should be.  
  
She would make a perfect bride for a man of his stature!  
  
In the end, however, he sent this young girl away too, claiming her to be too young for a bride   
  
though she was more than two years past the coming of womanhood. With silent, agonized tears  
  
streaming from her eyes of the purest and unadulterated azure, the young baroness departed from the  
  
castle of the young lord, heartbroken at his cold nature.  
  
Not a week passed before the name of this young woman passed his lips again, however,  
  
when her grandmother, the old and crippled crone of the far east mountain ranges, came to call. "You  
  
have tread upon my granddaughters heart and good name!" she accused the young lord. "I will not  
  
let this pass!"  
  
"Begone, old crone." the young lord responded, dismissing her from his presence. "She was  
  
unsuitable for marriage. My mind will not be changed."  
  
The old woman then raised her hands and cried to the heavens above "May this young lord of  
  
the south know such great shame as he has bestowed upon my lineage! May the ugliness of his heart  
  
spread to his outer image, coating his skin with the black, mangled skin that coats his heart! May his  
  
back be hunched and crippled as is his distorted as is his feeling for those other than himself! May the  
  
world know at a glance what sort of man he truly is!"  
  
With that, the lords body shriveled and his spine curved into a hunch. His clothing slipped  
  
from his shoulders and pooled around him on the floor, the once broad shoulders and chiseled body  
  
reduced to feeble, weak flesh. His skin darkened until it was very nearly green and his skin, once full  
  
of the elasticity of youth, sagged and clung loosely to his face and body while round, bulbous eyes  
  
were pulled open in fear. His once solid stature was now wraith-like in appearance and unable to suit  
  
even his greatly diminished weight. With a cry of fear and dismay, the young lord–now aged thirty  
  
years–fled from the audience of the exuberant old witch, her dry cackling ringing in his ears as he  
  
hobbled away from his estate, disappearing into the night under the cover of the new moon.  
  
Before he fled, the witch gave him a single parting glint of hope; "The spell will be lifted  
  
when you meet a girl who will willingly kiss you as you are now with unconditional love and  
  
understanding. Only then shall you regain your previous form and your honor restored to you."  
  
The young lord travels throughout these lands to this day, his hope long since lost amidst a  
  
sea of despair and utter self-loathing. It has been ten years since his departure from his own lands and  
  
he has yet to find one soul kind enough to touch their lips to even his wrinkled brow, much less one to  
  
bestow upon him a kiss of unconditional love and understanding. Now he only searches for his king,  
  
his final glimmer of hope being that his mighty lord would help him find a cure for his condition. For  
  
until this spell is repealed he will walk the earth by night, nocturnal in nature only to spare himself  
  
the disgusted glares of those who would have once gazed upon him in reverence, appearance  
  
thankfully hidden away by the darkness.   
  
Authors Note: I know its slightly disturbing thinking about a Jaken/Rin relationship, but I don't think  
  
it's really so bad. Not if you think of him as a human in disguise, anyway. Pardon if the prologue is a  
  
little choppy at the end....my attention is slightly divided at the moment ^^;  
  
R/R  
  
~*Ms Videl Son*~ 


	2. Chapter One: In the Darkness Dwells

Title: Just a Kiss  
  
Disclaimer: Keh!  
  
Summary: Jaken, a Lord under King Sesshoumaru, is reluctant to pick a bride. After spurning one  
  
too many a prospective bride, a witch casts a spell on him so that he may forever be as ugly on the  
  
outside as he is on the inside. The only way to break the spell is to find someone willing to kiss  
  
him...[Jaken/Rin]  
  
~*~  
  
  
  
Chapter One: In the Darkness Dwells  
  
In the depths of a nameless land, forests grow tall and dark, plaguing the landscape with a  
  
rash of foliage that the local dwellers show open faced timidity. Legends speak of dark creatures  
  
with even darker intentions living within the confines of forests such as these, lurking in the shadows  
  
and waiting patiently for any prey to cross their paths so they might feast on sweet, supple flesh.   
  
Humans, it was said, were their favorite course–young female victims in particular. No,  
  
there was nothing sweeter than the taste of young female flesh; soft and pliable it was with the most  
  
enticing of fragrances. Any dark creature worth his lick knew the benefits of a diet of young  
  
maidens–not only did they taste superb, but they were much more fun to play with before final  
  
conquest. Men fought, women screamed.  
  
Male flesh, on the other hand, was an imbalance of muscle and fat and always smelled of  
  
deep musk. Moreover, their bodies were usually covered in a thick layer of coarse hair which one  
  
had to remove, wasting much of the choice meat that would have otherwise been consumed. A  
  
woman, on the other hand, could be scalped and cleaned efficiently, the only amount of hair to truly  
  
worry about being on her head and loins. And, as all dark creatures know, preparing a woman for  
  
eating could always be rather...enjoyable. Much like an owl during her nocturnal meal–play first,  
  
eat later.  
  
One would not think that such creatures would be so finicky about their meals.   
  
~*~  
  
In a forest such as this, a young couple walks along a travel hewn path beneath the waning  
  
moon, dried grass and leaves crunching beneath their sandals ominously as they weave their way  
  
through the dense foliage.   
  
The first member, a young male in his late teens to early twenties, walks  
  
swiftly with determined steps, eager to rid himself of such surroundings but unwilling to show fear.  
  
His companion, a young maiden in earlier years, clings to his arm, fear etched into her expression  
  
and body language. She starts at every noise, searching vainly for the evil source in each shrubbery  
  
they bypass.   
  
"Hiroji," the girl whimpers, raising her face fearfully to her guardian. He returns the  
  
nervously fearful gaze with a wane smile, something he hopes will reassure his young charge.  
  
"What is it, Eiko?" Hiroji queries, hurrying them along the path so as not to draw attention  
  
to their vulnerable state.  
  
"Do you think the stories are true? The one that the locals warned us about before we set  
  
foot in this god awful place?" she asked, innocent eyes of a vegetative green fixing him with an  
  
inquisitive stare.  
  
"Of course not, Eiko." Hiroji answered with his wane smile. "They're just stories locals tell  
  
to scare away travelers like us. Nothing more dangerous than a rabbit can be found in this forest."  
  
"I guess so." Eiko replied, returning her gaze stonily to the path before them. She squeezed  
  
her guardians arm convulsively. "Do you think it really attacks girls?"  
  
"Didn't I already tell you that it's not real?"  
  
"What if it is?"  
  
"Then I'll protect you."  
  
"I feel safe now."  
  
"Fine then, I'll let it eat you."  
  
"You wouldn't!"  
  
"Wouldn't I?"  
  
"Jerk." Eiko sniffed, bringing their argument to a close. She turned her nose up and faced  
  
away from him, though she remained clinging to his arm.   
  
"Ah, girls scare so easy." Hiroji continued, unwilling to allow the conversation to fall back  
  
into the uncomfortable silence. He readjusted the pack on his shoulder by nervous reflex. "There's  
  
no such thing as monsters! No ghosts either, for that matter. Nothing but old wives tales meant to  
  
scare children and the gullible. Undoubtedly, they tell these stories to their children and threaten to  
  
send them into the forest when they're bad. It's nothing but - "  
  
"Eek!" Eiko cried, thrusting an accusatory finger in the direction of a shrubbery off in the  
  
distance. "There's something in there! It's going to eat us!"  
  
"Don't scare me like that!" Hiroji scolded, placing a hand over his breast to calm his  
  
palpitating heart.   
  
"But I saw that bush move!" Eiko shrieked defensively, placing herself directly behind  
  
Hiroji as if whatever was concealed in the bush wouldn't ever think to look for her there.  
  
"I told you, it's probably a rabbit or something. Nothing more than your run of the mill  
  
forest pest." Hiroji scoffed.  
  
"Then go check it out!" Eiko challenged, lively eyes hardening into lumps of cold jade.  
  
Hiroji stammered for a moment, searching for an excuse–any excuse–not to set another foot toward  
  
the bush in question.  
  
"There won't be anything in there."  
  
"Then you've got nothing to worry about."  
  
"But what if I cut myself?"  
  
"Then we're even for the bruise you gave me last week."  
  
"I told you! That wasn't my fault!"  
  
"Hiroji!"  
  
"Alright, alright." Hiroji finally conceded, rubbing the back of his neck apprehensively as he  
  
approached their foes supposed hiding place.  
  
With tentative footsteps, Hiroji drew closer to the shrubbery, barely withholding the  
  
trembling within his body. His muscles twitched and quaked beneath his skin, hindering his pursuit  
  
of the conspicuous foliage. It shuddered angrily when he came within a foot of it, but he gulped  
  
down his fear and continued his steady approach. With a single quivering hand, Hiroji reached out  
  
for its uppermost leaves...  
  
"Wah!" he shouted, stumbling back onto his rear as he was assaulted by a previously nesting  
  
bird. It chirped angrily at him as it made its ascent into the trees, disappearing into the net of leaves  
  
and twigs above.  
  
"Ha!" Eiko laughed, directing her accusation at the fallen Hiroji who was glowing a deeper  
  
shade of red than the setting sun.   
  
"Not funny, Eiko." he muttered as she continued to snicker at his expense. So much for  
  
being the hero. Humph.   
  
Hiroji rose, dusting off the knees and backside of his garment, amidst the laughter of his  
  
charge. A large tear split across his chest, the dark indigo material his mother had dyed to match his  
  
eyes ruined for further usage.   
  
"Wonderful. Exactly what I needed." Hiroji grumbled further, inspecting the tear fretfully.  
  
"Maybe I can get it fixed in the next town. What do you think, Eiko?"  
  
No response.  
  
"Eiko?" Now that he thought about it, Eiko was being rather quiet. Usually she could continue to  
  
laugh at something–or him, rather–for an entire day. For her to stop within ten minutes was  
  
unsettling.  
  
Hiroji turned, but met with no Eiko. Her pack lay strewn across the path, its contents spilled  
  
into the dust and decaying plant matter. Her wrap, knitted by her kindly grandmother, rested beside  
  
it, pooled into an undignified heap beside a bottle of broken perfume.   
  
"Eiko?" Hiroji called again, panic rising in his baritone voice.   
  
"Eek!"  
  
"Eiko!" Hiroji began to run, recognition of the shriek immediate to his subconscious mind.  
  
He darted into the brush to his left, arriving in the thick of the forest where no visible path was  
  
present. Trees surrounded him on every side and blocked him at every turn as they were densely  
  
packed together.   
  
'Do not wander off the path!' a voice of warning whispered in the back of his mind, the  
  
intonation similar to that of the old man who had first related to them the story of the maiden-  
  
thieving bandit of the forest. Supposedly, a dark creature of indistinct species wandered this forest at  
  
night, collecting young girls who dared to wander across his path. Once snatched up by the creature,  
  
none were ever seen again, undoubtedly prey to the creature who remained much of a mystery to  
  
local officials.   
  
One witness, a girl of only seven years of age, swore that the creature was toad-like and  
  
slimy, covered in warts and leathery skin while large, bulbous eyes would stare at you desirably.  
  
According to the only eyewitness, the toad-man had only wanted a kiss, something that would  
  
"return him to his former glory."  
  
Naturally, the girls story was later discredited as a childish nightmare or nightly vision  
  
produced by a trick of the moonlight and the popular theme of "steal the girl and eat her bones"  
  
became once again the most agreed upon story.  
  
"Eiko!" Hiroji called breathlessly, coming to a stop in a small clearing. He dropped to his  
  
knees in despair at being once again unanswered and wept into his hands, sobbing the lost girls name  
  
brokenly between gasps.   
  
"H-Hiroji,"   
  
Hiroji's head snapped up from its dormant position and swivelled around until the source  
  
was observed. Eiko stumbled into the clearing, disheveled and bleeding slightly from a wound on  
  
her forehead. She hobbled as far as she could go before collapsing in a heap, held up only by Hiroji,  
  
who scrambled to catch her before she hit the ground.  
  
"Eiko!" he cried joyfully, sweeping his beloved into his arms protectively, shielding her from  
  
all who might further attack her.  
  
"H-Hiroji..." she gasped, rolling her eyes up to meet his stare. The glow was gone from their  
  
depths, the spark of her witty tongue missing amidst a dull glossy coating.   
  
"Yes, Eiko?" Hiroji soothed, massaging tenderly between her shoulder blades.   
  
"I-it...he..." Eiko coughed raggedly, shuddering in remembrance of the offense.  
  
"What is it, Eiko?" Hiroji asked, anger finally rising to the surface at the fiend who would  
  
treat his poor, defenseless Eiko in such a brutal fashion. "Who did this to you?"  
  
"M-monster..." she coughed again, burying her face into his tunic until the violent fit  
  
subsided.  
  
"Monster?" Hiroji questioned, returning the soothing quality to his voice. "What monster,  
  
Eiko?"  
  
"T-toad...thing...wanted to...me..." Eiko shuddered again, hiding her face within the folds of  
  
his clothing at the grisly idea. Hiroji felt the spark of anger flare to life once more as the implication  
  
rose to the surface of his mind.  
  
"Eiko! What did this monster do to you?" he tilted Eiko's chin so that she would look him  
  
in the eye during his interrogation, wanting nothing but the truth about the unfortunate girls  
  
situation revealed to him. "What happened?"  
  
"He...it..." Eiko gulped, wiping at her mouth with the back of her hand. "It...kissed me!"  
  
~*~  
  
"Feh, stupid girl. I knew she wouldn't help me." the creature croaked, lurking in the  
  
shadows as he watched his former prey fall into the arms of what was most likely her lover. "No  
  
wonder, I should have known that man would complicate things."  
  
The creature continued to observe as the young whelp queried his delicate companion,  
  
comforting her tenderly in the wake of her "terrifying ordeal." Of course, the most terrifying piece of  
  
the entire affair should have been when he bashed her in the side of the head with his staff. He  
  
admittedly struck her a bit too forcefully, but not hard enough to cause any permanent damage. (He,  
  
of course, assumed the babble was a sign of her usual personality or one of recent terror.)  
  
"He...it..." the girl paused to wipe her mouth disgustedly, spatting out "It...kissed me!"  
  
The creature flinched. Stupid girl. Surely the ordeal was not as bad as all that! Such  
  
dramatics young females spewed these days. No wonder she had that pathetic excuse for a guardian  
  
wrapped around her little finger in such a way.  
  
On the other hand...  
  
The creature peered down at his hands–or what passed for hands, anyway. Three digits grew  
  
out of each palm, covered in green mottled skin that was slick with perspiration. Ugly spots  
  
appeared on the back of each implement and veins rose out of his flesh in a way that would make  
  
most squeal in disgust. Ugly welts rose on his already less-than-smooth epidermis, each filled with a  
  
sour smelling green puss. He would know, he once tried to dispose of them by slashing through them  
  
with his elongated, razor sharp nails, only to create more once the juice had been freed from its  
  
prison of diseased skin.   
  
The rest of his body was covered in a thin robe, complete with inconspicuous hood to hide  
  
his disfigured face and hairless scalp. Enormous rounded eyes glared from beneath it, glowing  
  
ominously when struck by any stray beam of light. His feet were webbed and slick as his hands so  
  
any form of footwear was impractical. His only other possession was a long staff carved out of a  
  
stray bit of drift wood found in his former kingdom, formless and knotted at the top to create a  
  
relatively formidable weapon when used properly. More than a weapon, though, it's purpose was to  
  
keep him walking upright as his spine curved in a way that made his bones ache from a simple stroll.  
  
When forced to upkeep his posture with the staff, however, most evenings he would wake up with  
  
less stiffness in the few feeble muscles he had left, making it easier for him to travel.  
  
Unfortunately, even after six straight weeks of wandering, he still could not find his way out  
  
of this wretched forest. And, according to the conversation being held by his latest "victims," he was  
  
once again back where he started. Now that he thought about it, was the ground supposed to slope  
  
this way...?  
  
Curses. Foiled again.  
  
Ah well. Time to wander once more. Perhaps, by this time next cycle, he would be on the  
  
other side of this endless expanse of forestry. Then, perhaps, his destination would be in sight and a  
  
cure as well.  
  
Until then, it was back to the old drawing board. It was apparent that no silly village girl  
  
would suit his needs. A very...special type of girl was needed. Well, his destination was a city after  
  
all. It would make sense that if he were to find a cure, by the method known to him or not, it would  
  
be there.   
  
Yes, the western lands held much promise for this wretched creature that stalks the night. In  
  
the west, in the direction of the setting sun, he would find his answer. He would find closure.  
  
~*~  
  
Authors Note: See, PD? That wasn't so bad, was it? ^^  
  
Erm...sorry if the last chapter didn't flow especially well. That's what I get for not  
  
editing ^^; Not too bad considering it came off the top of my head (much like this chapter did, come  
  
to think of it...but I looked over this one!). If anyone thinks I was a bit...graphic near the beginning  
  
when describing the "dark creatures," rest assured that Jaken isn't really one of the dark creatures  
  
mentioned. Jaken, being a relatively decent man by origin, isn't EVIL–just mean, cold and arrogant  
  
(which is SO much better -_-;) The "dark creatures" description is more of a general analysis of the  
  
bad nasty things that plague the world than anyone/thing specific. Kinda how demons are described  
  
in InuYasha–evil, nasty and kinky for eating young maidens. (Lord, I ramble.)  
  
Oh yes, and don't forget about Hiroji and Eiko. I have a feeling they'll show up again in  
  
later chapters, even if for a brief period. (Gotta have something to shake up the city dwellers  
  
^^–other than Jaken, anyway.)  
  
Next Chapter: Jaken finally makes it to the other side of the forest (after about another month and  
  
a half of travel) and begins his journey westward where he meets a few...obstacles.  
  
**Rating raised to PG-13 due to content of this chapter and future ones.**  
  
~*Ms. Videl Son*~  
  
PS: .txt will be the death of me! GAH!!! I apologize to the ff.net users out there for my paragraph  
  
formatting--.txt is a little...strange compared to .html. I'm going to try and get my Microsoft Word  
  
back, though, I promise! 


	3. Chapter Two: Of Drunks and Directions

Title: Just a Kiss  
  
Disclaimer: If I were going to create an Anime, I'd create a more handsome bishie than Jaken.  
  
Summary: Frog-Prince parody--Jaken is under a terrible spell that only a genuinely-loving kiss can  
  
break...but who would kiss a toad?   
  
NOTE: Jaken is HUMAN turned TOAD! [JR]  
  
Dedicated to Suchan (Lots of WITCHCRAFT in this story, ne? ^^)  
  
–*– will be used henceforth to differentiate between POV's in case some people are unable to  
  
follow. I think it's simple enough, but you never know.  
  
  
  
Chapter Two: Of Drunks and Directions  
  
  
  
"Bah, foolish wench." our creature muttered to himself darkly, rubbing a swelling lump on  
  
his temple. Slimy digits gingerly prodded his abused scalp, gauging the damage done by his latest  
  
'victim.' When he withdrew his fingers, a smear of crimson blood came away on his fingertips.   
  
He had been wandering for another month and a half, continuously, and still had yet to reach  
  
the outer fringes of this god-forsaken crop of forestry. In his vertically challenged form, the trees and  
  
shrubbery seemed three times as large as they had been previously, stretching into the impossibly  
  
vast expanse of sky and cloud above. Even the taller tufts of grass now seemed in gigantic  
  
proportion to his stooped, miniature body.  
  
He didn't even want to think what mountains would look like.  
  
On the more positive side, he now no longer had to worry about finding suitable shelter as he  
  
would have had he been his full size. He could now comfortably curl up in a hollow log, rock  
  
crevice or even under a stray bush. Climbing trees, oddly enough, was of very little difficulty for  
  
him–apparently, his legs, though lean in muscle, were well structured for elongated leaps and  
  
bounds. From the ground, he could reach the first or second bough of a decent sized oak with  
  
relative ease. His powerful springing ability also came in handy whenever a delectable-looking  
  
village girl happened to pass by...  
  
Sadly, even this couldn't change the fact that each and every one of the proffered village  
  
girls were of absolutely no use to him. In a way, the entire situation was very ironic; he, the former  
  
lord of the southern lands, who used to spurn every woman to come across his path, was desperate  
  
for a woman's loving embrace.  
  
If he didn't know better, he'd say that old crone that had cursed him had a sense of humor.   
  
In any event, as soon as the moon rose, he would be on his way. The sun was just barely  
  
beyond the horizon now, another hour or so and the moon–round and full as it was at this time of the  
  
month–would illuminate the path ahead and, perhaps, he could finally put this wretched forest  
  
behind him forever.   
  
"I heard some sort 'o monster lives in these here woods." a gruff, drunken voice echoed  
  
through the foliage. "'Sposed to snatch up young girls and grind up their bones fer his bread."  
  
"That's giants, mate." another, slightly more reasonable drunk, corrected, guffawing at his  
  
companions foolishness.  
  
"Yea, whatever." the first drunk recovered.   
  
The creature, from his perch in a nearby elm, wrinkled his nose at the thought. Had all of  
  
these peasant fools failed to notice that not one of his 'victims' had died during their brief capture?  
  
Surely they were due more credit than that.   
  
–*--  
  
"I hear that he splits open their bellies and makes stew from their intestines."  
  
–*--  
  
Apparently not. Disgusting!  
  
–*--  
  
"In any event," the second drunk continued, the shrubbery directly opposite the creatures  
  
perch rustling with movement. "None of his victims 're ever seen again."  
  
The shrubbery parted and two intoxicated men stumbled through, clay jars clutched in their  
  
sweaty palms and a vile smell emanating from their unwashed bodies. Loud conversation rumbled  
  
from the chest of one of the men, immediately identifying him as the second drunk. This one was of  
  
hefty build, heavily laden with a great gut that fell over the waistband of his sagging pants. His head  
  
was covered in a mop of dark curly hair, most of which was plastered to his round, good natured  
  
face by sweat.   
  
"I'll bet he can smell a woman's flesh from a mile away!" the second drunk rambled. "What  
  
do you think, Shuji?"   
  
Shuji, as the first drunk was identified, however, was almost completely opposite from his  
  
comrade with a thin, lanky figure and an unjustifiably mop of fine, straight hair. He appeared to be  
  
several years junior to his friend, only in his late teens or early twenties. His companion, on the other  
  
hand, was approaching middle age and had flecks of gray blended into his thick curls.  
  
"I'll bet he can smell you from a mile away, Toju."Shuji joked, giving his friend a playful  
  
shove in his meaty shoulder.   
  
The creature wholeheartedly agreed.  
  
"Ah, yer just," hic "jealous." Toju countered, waving a threatening gesture at a nearby  
  
azalea. Shuji chuckled stupidly, taking another swig from his clay jar.   
  
With a light 'ahh' of appreciation, Shuji asked, voice raised in pitch from the alcohol,  
  
"Jealous of what? That lovely wife of yours?"   
  
"Oi, what's wrong wif my wife?" Toju slurred defensively, attempting to prop himself up on  
  
the azalea. With a brief yell of surprise, a rustle of branches and a heavy thud, Toju landed on the  
  
ground amidst the brambles of the bush.   
  
Shuji's chuckle grew in volume until it was an outright shout of laughter, and reached his  
  
hand out to assist his felled companion. "Nuthin, if ya don't mind yer women havin' more facial hair  
  
'n you."  
  
–*--  
  
Perhaps the creature would allow Toju's wife to pass unhindered through the forest. No need  
  
to bother such a...a damsel.   
  
–*--  
  
"Ain't so bad once yeh get past the moustache." Toju muttered vaguely, assisting in his  
  
companions feeble attempts to lift his substantial weight from the shrub. When finally tipsily on his  
  
feet, he asked "How far is Shukuba from here?"[1]  
  
–*--  
  
Shukuba? A new town?   
  
The creatures attention was newly fixed on the two intoxicated buffoons, now stumbling  
  
along a roughly hewn dirt path in a northerly direction.   
  
–*--  
  
"Bout a mile. Maybe mile 'n a half." Shuji answered with a slight pause for thought. "We'll  
  
be there before all th' good whores are taken."  
  
"Yeah, all the good whores." Toju mumbled, a glazed and dreamy expression passing over  
  
his pudgy face.  
  
"Pardon," a new voice, cracked with age and disuse, interrupted. "But could you give me  
  
directions? I'm afraid I've been lost in this forest for quite a long time now..."  
  
Shuji and Toju craned their necks until a stout figure was raised into their line of vision. He  
  
was stooped into a half bow, spine curved into a question marked line, and leaned on an old staff of  
  
rough driftwood for support. His face was hidden away by the hood he wore and only a vague  
  
outline of his body was identifiable through his loose clothing.  
  
"What d'you want, old man?" Shuji spat, eyeing the old man with unfounded suspicion. The  
  
fine hairs that grazed the back of his neck stood on end as if electrified by the mysterious company's  
  
mere presence.   
  
"Directions, if you would be so kind." the old man asked in his withered voice, a tone of  
  
hopefulness injected into his words. "I've been lost in here for such a long time. I only wish to be on  
  
my way."  
  
"I don't know where we are." Shuji lied, an inexplicable tingle rippling up his spine. "Better  
  
turn around and ask someone back at the last town."  
  
"What's wrong wif you, Shuji?" Toju scolded, stabling himself against a nearby tree. "Yew  
  
should respect yer elders more."  
  
"Like you?" Shuji snarled, his hackles rising for reasons even unknown to him. He was  
  
normally a very sociable drunk and he played nice with others. In fact, with his generally mellow  
  
attitude, the inclination in his temperament was very out of character for the buoyant young  
  
hooligan.  
  
"Yeah, like me." Toju responded, rising to the implied threat in his companions voice. Unlike  
  
Shuji, Toju had a temper like a coal and lighter fluid–hot and quick to ignite.  
  
"The day I respect the likes of you is the day - "  
  
"Gentlemen, gentlemen," the old man interjected, holding his staff between the two ruffians  
  
as a mediator. "If you will only direct me on my path, I shall be out of your hair."  
  
"Sure thing, mate." Toju replied with a toothy grin. The old man counted six missing teeth  
  
in his smile. "If you wanna get to the west side of the forest, all you gotta do is head straight down  
  
that there path," he pointed "and walk until you get to a little covered bridge. Just past there is a  
  
fork. You'll need the left one–the right one leads to the mountains in the northeast."  
  
"My sincerest thanks, good sir." the old man rasped in an oily voice. "May your travels  
  
carry you to great destinations."  
  
With a stiff half-bow, the old man wobbled off onto his new path, the light of the moon  
  
illuminating his soft footfalls as he was swallowed up into the foliage.  
  
"That was a creepy old bloke." Shuji shuddered, holding his voice at a quiet level though the  
  
old man had long since been out of earshot.   
  
"Ah, you're just paranoid." Toju said dismissively, taking another swig from his clay jar.  
  
"Lets get goin,' whelp, before Goro gets too far ahead in the games."  
  
"Eager to loose this set of britches too, eh?" Shuji chuckled, his low tones slowly rising in  
  
volume.   
  
"Feh, just bad luck that night, thas' all." Toju hiccuped, setting down the opposite path the  
  
old man had vanished from minutes ago.   
  
"Sure!" Shuji guffawed, slinging a friendly arm across his friends shoulders. "It's always  
  
bad luck!"  
  
–*--  
  
"At least they're useful for something." the creature grumbled, setting a quick pace down his  
  
new path.   
  
If he were lucky, and the drunkards directions were true, he should reach the outskirts of the  
  
forest by dawn.  
  
Authors Note: Just thought I'd mention that this story does NOT take place in Japan. In fact, it  
  
doesn't take place in any REAL country or time period. I figure that since this is a fantasy/fairy tale  
  
type deal, that I can keep my setting vague. Just think of a mix between Feudal Japan and England  
  
during medieval times. There will be some Japanese nouns in here, but that's really just cause I  
  
think they're neat ^^; Any non-character names will be explained below in the footnotes.  
  
Footnotes:  
  
[1] Shukuba = inn town (goin' for a bit of irony here)  
  
Next Chapter: We meet a new character...  
  
~*Ms. Videl Son*~ 


End file.
